Container with latch

ABSTRACT

A container having a container portion defining a space for storing tools and a lid portion pivotally connected to the container portion. The lid portion is pivotally movable between open and closed positions. The container also has a latch assembly carried by the lid portion and latches the lid portion in the closed position. The latch assembly includes a single latch handle carried by the lid portion, a latch comprising spaced latch portions, the spaced latch portions being moveable together between a latched position and a released position, the latch portions respectively being on opposite sides of the latch handle. The latch portions are engageable with latch engaging portions of the container portion. A spring biases the spaced latch portions toward the latched position. The latch handle can be moved to effect movement of the latch portions from the latched position to the released position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an container, and more particularly, toa container for storing and carrying tools.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Numerous storage containers are known in the art. However, there is aconstant need in the industry to improve upon existing containers bymaking them more efficient and easy to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect provides a container having a container portion defining aspace for storing tools and a lid portion pivotally connected to thecontainer portion. The lid portion is pivotally movable between open andclosed positions. The container also includes a latch assembly carriedby the lid portion and constructed and arranged to latch the lid portionin the closed position. The latch assembly includes a single latchhandle carried by the lid portion and a latch comprising spaced latchportions, the spaced latch portions being moveable together between alatched position and a released position. The latch portionsrespectively are on opposite sides of the latch handle. The latchportions are engageable with latch engaging portions of the containerportion. The latch assembly also includes a spring that biases thespaced latch portions toward the latched position, the latch handleconstructed and arranged to be moved to effect movement of the latchportions from the latched position to the released position.

These and other aspects of the present invention, as well as the methodsof operation and functions of the related elements of structure and thecombination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become moreapparent upon consideration of the following description and theappended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all ofwhich form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts in the various figures. In one embodiment,the structural components illustrated herein can be considered drawn toscale. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings arefor the purpose of illustration and description only and are not alimitation of the invention. In addition, it should be appreciated thatstructural features shown or described in any one embodiment herein canbe used in other embodiments as well. As used in the specification andin the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a container, with certaincomponents and portions removed to better reveal others, with a latchassembly in a latched position and wherein some components obstructedfrom view are shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the container with the latchassembly in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective rear view of the container, with certaincomponents and portions removed to better reveal others, with the latchassembly in the latched position and wherein some components obstructedfrom view are shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 4 is a rear plan view of the container in accordance with anembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of the container, with certaincomponents and portions removed to better reveal others, with the latchassembly in a released position and wherein some components obstructedfrom view are shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 6 is a perspective rear view of the container with the latchassembly with certain components and portions removed to better revealothers, with the latch assembly in the released position and whereinsome components obstructed from view are shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross sectional side view of the container, withcertain portions removed to better reveal others, with the latchassembly in the latched position in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross sectional side view of the container, withcertain portions removed to better reveal others, with the latchassembly in the released position in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the container with the latch assemblywith certain portions removed to better reveal others; and

FIG. 10 is a partial front view (from above) of a portion of thecontainer, with certain parts removed to better reveal others, inaccordance with the embodiment shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a portion of the container witha lid of the container in the open position and revealing a latch cover;

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of portions of the latch assembly and otherportions of the container; and

FIG. 13 is a partial cross sectional view of the container, with certainportions removed to better reveal others, showing the latch assembly inthe unlocked position and the latch cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a container 10 having a container portion 12 defining aspace for storing tools. The container 10 also includes a lid portion 14that is pivotally connected to the container portion 12 and that ispivotally movable between open and closed positions. The container 10includes a latch assembly 16 carried by the lid portion 14 that isconstructed and arranged to latch the lid portion 14 in the closedposition. The latch assembly 16 includes a single latch handle 18 (seeFIG. 2) carried by the lid portion 14. Components or portions ofcomponents that are obstructed from view by other portions or componentsof the container 10 are shown in dashed lines. As shown in FIG. 1, thelatch assembly 16 also includes a single latch 20 having spaced latchportions 20 a, 20 b that are moveable together between a latchedposition (shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) and a released or unlatched position(shown in FIGS. 5 and 6). In one embodiment, the spaced latch portions20 a, 20 b may be integrally molded with one another, but in anotherembodiment they can be separately formed and then joined to form thelatch 20. The latch portions 20 a, 20 b respectively are on oppositesides of the latch handle 18. The latch portions 20 a, 20 b areengageable with latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b (see FIGS. 3 and 7)of the container portion 12. The latch assembly 16 also includes aspring 24 (see FIG. 1) that biases the spaced latch portions toward thelatched position. The latch handle 18 is constructed and arranged to bemoved to effect movement of the latch portions 20 a, 20 b from thelatched position to the released position.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lid portion 14 may include a top wall or side36, a front wall or side 38, a right wall or side 40, a left wall orside 42, and a back wall or side 44. A protruding portion 39 may beprovided on the front wall 38 of the lid portion 14. In one embodiment,the latch portions 20 a, 20 b are housed in the protruding portion 39 ofthe lid portion 14. The lid portion 14 may be moved between an openposition wherein access to an interior space 13 (see FIG. 11) of thecontainer portion 12 is permitted and a closed position wherein accessto the interior space 13 of the container portion 12 is prevented.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the container portion 12 may include a frontwall or side 48, a right wall or side 50, a left wall or side 52, a backwall or side 54, and a bottom wall or side 56. The container portion 12may also include a pair of opposing upper rims 51 formed on the leftwall 52 and the right wall 50 that are constructed and arranged to bedisposed against the lid portion 14 when the lid portion 14 is latchedto the container portion 12. A protruding portion 59 may be provided onthe front wall 48 of the container portion 12. In one embodiment, thelatch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b are housed in the protruding portion59 of the container portion 12. The container 10 may include a handle 57on the lid portion 14 to enable the user to lift and carry the container10. A depression 67 formed on the top wall 36 of the lid portion 14 maybe constructed and arranged to receive the handle 57 when the handle 57is not in use. The handle 57 may be pivotably attached to the top wall36 of the lid portion 14 via pins 63. When the handle 57 is to be used,the handle 57 may be pivoted away from the depression 67 to a positionwherein the handle 57 is generally perpendicular to a plane defined bythe top wall 36. Grooves may be formed on the surface thereof so as tofacilitate the grasping of the handle 57 during transport of thecontainer 10. Rubber or other friction providing materials mayoptionally be provided on the surface thereof. The handle 57 mayoptionally be attached to the container 10 via hinges, snap-fitconnections, or other connecting mechanisms and/or may be attached tothe container 10 at other locations thereof. The lid portion 14,container portion 12, and/or any other parts of the container 10 may bemade of plastic, metal, wood, other materials, or any combinationthereof. The lid portion 14, container portion 12, and/or other parts ofthe container 10 may optionally be made from molded plastic. In oneembodiment, the container 10 may be made of a combination of metal andplastic. In addition, although the illustrated embodiments of thecontainer 10 are generally rectangular, the container 10 may have othershapes and structures.

The container 10 may also be provided with feet 49 (two are shown inthis Figure), to facilitate placement of the container 10 on a surface.Rubber, foam, or other materials may be provided on the surfaces of thefeet 49.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the lid portion 14 is pivotallyattached to the container portion 12 via a hinge structure 23. The hingestructure(s) 23 may comprise any type of pivotal arrangement, such as,for example, a living hinge or pins and hoops. Although, in oneembodiment, the hinge structure(s) 23 may have a permanent connection, apermanent connection is not required. It is contemplated that in someembodiments, a particular hinge structure 23 may be disconnected suchthat the lid portion 14 and the container portion 12 are no longerattached by the hinge structure 23. It should be appreciated that thelid portion 14 may also be other types of lids, such as, just forexample, a snap fit lid or an accordion type lid.

Referring back FIG. 2, the lid portion 14 may also include a firstsection 68 and a second section 70. In the illustrated embodiment,elongated ridges 72 are provided on the surfaces thereof. However, it iscontemplated that in other embodiments, the surfaces of the firstsection 68 and second section 70 may be smooth or may have other shapesor structures provided thereon. The first section 68 and the secondsection 70 may be pivotally attached to the lid 16 and may be pivotedbetween an open position wherein access to storage spaces (not shown)under the first and second sections 68, 70 is permitted and a closedposition wherein access to the storage spaces is prevented. In thisembodiment, a first depression 74 is provided in the front wall 38 ofthe lid portion 14 beneath the first section 68, and a second depression76 is provided in the front wall 38 of the lid portion 14 beneath thesecond section 70. Accordingly, the first and second depressions 74, 76enable a user to insert fingers therein to pivot the first and sections68, 70, respectively, between open and closed positions so as to permitand prevent access to the storage spaces.

As mentioned above, the latch handle 18 is carried by the lid portion14. In the illustrated embodiment, the latch handle 18 is pivotallyattached to the lid portion 14 and may be pivoted along pivot axis A(see FIG. 1). The pivot axis A may be defined by protrusions 83 (one isshown in FIG. 12) that are provided on the latch handle 18 to connectthe latch handle 18 to the lid 14. The protrusions 83 may be received inrecesses 91 (two are shown in FIG. 12) provided in the lid 14 to enablepivotal movement of the latch handle 18. In other embodiments, the latchhandle 18 may be pivotally attached to the lid portion 14 using pivotpins or other attachment mechanisms. The latch handle 18 includes ahandle portion 80. The handle portion 80 may be located on the top wall36 of the lid portion 14. In this embodiment, a depression 82 is formedin the lid portion 14 underneath the handle portion 80. The depression82 may be constructed and arranged to receive a user's fingers so as tofacilitate the user in pivoting the latch handle 18 to operate the latchassembly 16.

A lock 120, which may take the form of a cylinder lock, may be providedon the lid portion 14 so as to lock the lid 14 in the closed position tosecure the contents therein and to prevent unauthorized access to thecontents therein. In one embodiment, the cylinder lock 120 may be usedto lock the lid 14 so as to prevent pivoting movement thereof to theopen position. In such embodiment, the latch handle 18 may still belifted to its pivoted position. Alternatively, in one embodiment, thelock 120 may be used to lock the latch handle 18 in its unpivoted,default position so as to prevent the latch handle 18 from being pivotedto move the latch assembly 16 to the released position.

Although the latch handle 18 is a separate structure in the illustratedembodiment, it should be appreciated that the latch handle 18 may beintegrally molded with the latch 20 or attached to the spaced latchportions 20 a, 20 b in other embodiments. In such embodiments, the latchhandle 18 and the spaced latch portions 20 a, 20 b may be pivotableabout a common axis. The spaced latch portions 20 a, 20 b compriseseparated teeth of the single latch 20.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the latch handle 18 may also include one ormore latch contact portions 84 a, 84 b (two shown) extending from thehandle portion 80. As further illustrated in this embodiment, the spacedlatch portions 20 a, 20 b may be integrally formed with a main latchportion 17. That is, the main latch portion 17 may be an elongatedportion disposed between and integrally formed with the spaced latchportions 20 a, 20 b. As mentioned above, the spaced latch portions 20 a,20 b are constructed and arranged to engage with the latch engagingportions 22 a, 22 b. In one embodiment, the integral structure of thespaced latch portions 20 a, 20 b enables the lid portion 14 to be stablylatched to the container portion 12. The integral structure of thespaced latch portions 20 a, 20 b may also provide efficient latchingbecause of the minimal number of moveable components used to latch thelid portion 14 to the container portion 12.

The latch 20 may also include one or more extending portions 86 a, 86 b(two shown). In this embodiment, the extending portions 86 a, 86 b areconstructed and arranged to contact the one or more latch contactportions 84 a, 84 b of the latch handle 18, respectively. Accordingly,the latch handle 18 is constructed and arranged to operate with the mainlatch portion 17 and the spaced latch portions 20 a, 20 b via thecontact between the latch contact portions 84 a, 84 b and the extendingportions 86 a, 86 b to move the spaced latch portions 20 a, 20 b betweenthe latched and released positions. In one embodiment, the extendingportions 86 a, 86 b may be integrally formed with the main latch portion17. In other embodiments, the extending portions 86 a, 86 b mayoptionally integrally form a single extending portion. The latch 20 maybe pivotally connected to the lid portion 14 via a rod 88. Thus, themain latch portion 17 and the latch portions 20 a, 20 b are pivotableabout an axis defined by the rod 88. The rod 88 may be received inopenings 89 (see FIG. 12) formed in the latch 20 between the extendingportions 86 a, 86 b and stop portions 90 a, 90 b extending from thelatch 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the rod 88 may define an axis B alongwhich the latch 20 may pivot. In one embodiment, the axis B defined bythe rod 88 is parallel to the pivotal axis A of the latch handle 18.

In the illustrated embodiment, however, relative movement between thehandle 18 and the latch 20 is permitted. For example, when the lid 14 isclosed and such closing action forces the latch 20 to pivot, the handle18 does not pivot along with the latch 20, as the member 84 b disengagesaway from the member 86 b (as can be appreciated from FIG. 7).

In one embodiment, the stop portions 90 a, 90 b may extend generally inthe same direction as the latch portions 20 a, 20 b. In one embodiment,the spring 24 may be located on the rod 88 (see FIG. 1) and may take theform of a torsion spring. As shown in FIG. 1, the spring 24 may bewrapped around at least a portion of the rod 88 and may bias the latch20, including the latch portions 20 a, 20 b, toward the latchedposition. It should be appreciated that the single spring 24 may belocated in other locations and/or may be other types of springs. Forexample, in one embodiment, the spring 24 may be a tensile spring withone end attached to the latch 20 and the other end attached to anotherportion of the container 10 so as to bias the latch 20 (and thus thelatch portions 20 a, 20 b) in the latched position.

FIG. 7 shows the latch assembly 16 in the latched position. In thelatched position, the latch handle 18 is in the unpivoted, defaultposition. In the illustrated embodiment, the latch contact portion 84 bof the latch handle 18 is in contact with the extending portion 86 b ofthe latch 20. In particular, in this embodiment, the latch contactportion 84 b of the latch handle 18 includes a hooked portion 92constructed and arranged to engage with an end portion 94 of theextending portion 86 b of the latch 20. In addition, when the latchassembly 16 is in the latched position, the stop portion 90 b of thelatch 20 may abut against a stop surface 96 of the lid portion 14.Accordingly, the contact between the stop portion 90 b and the stopsurface 96 may prevent over-rotation of the latch 20 in the clockwisedirection due to bias of the spring 24. A similar stop surface (notshown) may be provided to contact the stop portion 90 a (obstructed fromview in this Figure).

In the illustrated embodiment, the latch portion 20 b includes a hookedportion or projection 21 b. The latch portion 20 b includes a corner 100and a first contact surface 98 adjacent to the corner 100. A slantedcamming surface 102 extends generally downwards from the first contactsurface 98. The corner 100, the first contact surface 98, and theslanted camming surface 102 may define the projections 21 b. A similarprojection 21 a may be provided on the latch portion 20 a.

In the illustrated embodiment, the latch engaging portion 22 b includesa recess 99 b constructed and arranged to receive the projection 21 b ofthe latch portion 20 b. The recess 99 b is partially defined by a tip108 and a second contact surface 104 constructed and arranged to engagewith the first contact surface 98 of the latch portion 20 b when thelatch assembly 16 is in the latched position. The latch engaging portion22 b may include a similar recess 99 a as the recess 99 b. In thisembodiment, the latch engaging portion 22 b also includes a slantedthird contact surface 110 adjacent the tip 108. The camming surface 102of the latch 20 is constructed and arranged to contact the slanted thirdsurface 110 during the latching operation, which will be described inmore detail later.

Although FIG. 7 shows the latch portion 20 b and the latch engagingportion 22 b, it is contemplated that that the latch portion 20 a andlatch engaging portion 22 a may be constructed and arranged in a similarmanner. Accordingly, the latch portion 20 a and the latch engagingportion 22 a may operate in a similar manner as the latch portion 20 band the latch engaging portion 22 b.

FIG. 8 illustrates the latch assembly 16 in the released position inaccordance with an embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the latchhandle 18 is in a pivoted position such that the latch contact portion84 b is rotated clockwise from its position shown in FIG. 7 when thelatch handle 18 is in the unpivoted, default position. In addition, theextending portion 86 b of the latch 20 is rotated counterclockwise fromits position shown in FIG. 7. The end portion 94 of the extendingportion 86 b is removed from the hooked portion 92 of the latch contactportion 84 b and is slid to a higher position on a sliding surface 112of the latch contact portion 84 b. Furthermore, in the unlatchedposition, the tip 108 of the latch engaging portion 22 b is removed fromthe corner 100 of the latch portion 20 b. As a result, when the latchassembly 16 is in the unlatched position, the latch engaging portion 22b is disengaged from the latch portion 20 b and the lid portion 14 maybe pivoted to the open position away from the container portion 12.

FIG. 9. is a perspective view of the container 10 with certain partsremoved to better reveal others. In this embodiment, the container 10includes a latch cover 123 that may be optionally provided in the lid14. The latch cover 123 may include a protrusion 125 constructed andarranged to engage with a portion of the lid 14 so as to attach thelatch cover 123 to the lid 14. The attachment of the latch cover 123 tothe lid 14 will be described in more detail later. The latch cover 123may be constructed and arranged to block access/view of at leastportions of the latch 20 when the lid 14 is pivoted to the open position(see FIG. 11). FIG. 10 illustrates a frontal view (from above) of thecontainer 10 with certain parts removed to better reveal others. In thisembodiment, the container 10 includes the latch cover 123. The exampleof the latch cover 123 is not intended to be limiting, and it iscontemplated that the location of the latch cover 123 and the connectionmechanism used to connect the latch cover 123 to the lid 14 may vary inother embodiments.

FIG. 11 shows the lid 14 in the open position in accordance with anembodiment. The lid 14 includes opposing lower side walls 138 a, 138 b.The latch cover 123 may be positioned between the lower side walls 138a, 138 b. Accordingly, the latch cover 123, the lower side walls 138 a,138 b, a lower rear wall 142 (see FIG. 13), and a lower wall 130 (seeFIG. 12) of the lid 14 may form a latch housing 140 that encloses atleast portions of the latch 20 within the latch housing 140. Thus, thelatch cover 123 and the other parts of the latch housing 140 may blockaccess to/view of the portions of the latch 20 and/or other parts of thelatch assembly 16.

In one embodiment, the portions of the latch 20 that areengaging/contacting the spring 24 and the rod 88 may be hidden from viewby the latch housing 140. Accordingly, the cover latch 123 and otherparts of the latch housing 140 may prevent objects or fingers frombecoming lodged in parts of the latch assembly 16 (e.g., near the pointsof contact between the latch contact portions 84 a, 84 b of the latchhandle 18 and the extending portions 86 a, 86 b of the latch 20, nearthe pivot axis B of the latch 20 defined by the rod 88). As shown inFIG. 11, a recess 127 is provided in the latch cover 123 for the latchportions 20 a, 20 b to extend therethrough so that the latch portions 20a, 20 b may engage with the latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b(obstructed from view in this Figure) of the container portion 12.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exploded view of the latch assembly 16 and otherportions of the container 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the lid 14includes a recessed portion 128 constructed and arranged to receive thehandle 18. The recessed portion 128 may include the depression 82 forreceiving the user's fingers during movement of the latch handle 18. Therecessed portion 128 may be partially defined by the lower wall 130 ofthe lid 14. The latch 20 may be pivotally connected to the lid 14 underthe recessed portion 128 (see FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 12, the latchcover 123 includes fingers 129 extending from opposite ends of the latchcover 123 with the recess 127 therebetween. It should be appreciatedthat in other embodiments, the location, construction, and number of thefingers 129 may vary. The latch cover 123 may also include a raisedperiphery 131 that surrounds at least portions of the latch cover 123.The fingers 129 and the raised periphery 131 may help guide and connectthe latch cover 123 to the lid 14 during the arrangement of the coverlatch 123 on the lid 14 of the container 10. In one embodiment, theraised periphery 131 may contact the lower side walls 138 a, 138 b ofthe lid 14 when the latch cover 123 is attached to the lid 14. Inaddition, the protrusions 125 with hook-shaped ends (three are shown inthis embodiment) may also be constructed and arranged to connect thelatch cover 123 to the lid 14. As shown in FIG. 13, the lid 14 mayinclude the lower rear wall 142 that extends downward from the lowerwall 130. As mentioned above, the lower rear wall 142, the lower wall130, and the latch cover 123 help define the lock housing 140. Thus, thecover latch 123 may be attached to the lower rear wall 142 of the lid14. For example, the lower rear wall 142 may be provided with engagingmembers 144 constructed and arranged to engage with the hook-shaped endsof the protrusions 125. A portion of the raised periphery 131 may alsocontact the lower rear wall 142 when the latch cover 123 is attached tothe lid 14. The attachment of the latch cover 123 to the lid 14 may varyin other embodiments. It is also contemplated that the latch cover 123may be optional. For example, in some embodiments, the container 10 isnot provided with the latch cover 123.

The lid portion 14 may be latched to the container portion 12 as followsin accordance with an embodiment. The lid portion 14 may initially be inthe open position wherein contents of the container portion 12 can beaccessed. The lid portion 14 may then be pivoted towards the containerportion 12. As the lid portion 14 is moved towards the container portion12, the slanted camming surfaces 102 of the latch portions 20 a, 20 b ofthe latch 20 may cam against the slanted third surfaces 110 of the latchengaging portions 22 a, 22 b. During the camming movement, the latch 20may be rotated in the counterclockwise direction against the bias of thespring 24 due to camming force between the slanted camming surfaces 102of the latch portions 20 a, 20 b and the slanted third surfaces 110 ofthe latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b. The slanted camming surfaces 102of the latch portions 20 a, 20 b may cam against the slanted thirdsurfaces 110 of the latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b until the tip 108of the latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b clear the camming surfaces 102of the latching portions 20 a, 20 b so that the latch portions 20 a, 20b are in the unlatched position, whereupon the spring 24 may snap thelatch portions 20 a, 2 b towards the latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b.Accordingly, the second contact surfaces 104 of the latch engagingportions 22 a, 22 b may slide against the first contact surfaces 98 ofthe latch portions 20 a, 20 b until the tips 110 of the latch engagingportions 22 a, 22 b are received in the corners 100 of the latchportions 20 a, 20 b. The stop portions 90 a, 90 b of the latch 20 mayabut against the stop surfaces 96, thus preventing over-rotation in theclockwise direction of the latch 20. As a result, the projections 21 a,21 b of the latch portions 20 a, 20 b are received in the recesses 99 a,99 b of the latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b. That is, the latchportions 20 a, 20 b are in the latched position with the latch engagingportions 22 a, 22 b, as shown in FIG. 7. Thus, the lid portion 14 may be“automatically” latched to the container portion 12 by simply moving thelid portion 14 towards the container portion 12.

It should be appreciated that, in one embodiment, the user may berequired to push the lid portion 14 towards the container portion 12with force to latch the lid portion 14 to the container portion 12. Inan alternate embodiment, gravity alone can move the lid portion 14 tothe latched position. That is, in one embodiment, the lid portion 14 mayoptionally have a weight that is sufficiently heavy in relation to thespring constant of the spring 24 such that the force of gravity alone isenough to move to the lid portion 14 to the closed position, whereuponthe lid assembly 16 may “automatically” latch the lid portion 14 to thecontainer portion 12 as described above. In one embodiment, the lidportion 14 may have sufficient weight such that the force of gravityalone is sufficient to move the lid portion 14 to the latched positionwhen the lid portion 14 is released from any position. Alternatively, inone embodiment, the force of gravity alone is sufficient to move the lidportion 14 to the latched position only when the lid portion 14 isreleased from higher than a predetermined height position. For example,in one embodiment, the lid portion 14 may be moved to the latchedposition by the force of gravity when the lid portion 14 is releasedfrom a position wherein the angle between a plane defined by the lidportion 14 and a plane defined by the pair of opposing upper rims 51 ofthe container portion 12 is at least 45 degrees. The relativeorientations can easily be changed, and not limiting, as can beappreciated by those skilled in the art.

Alternatively, the lid portion 14 may be latched to the containerportion 12 as follows. The user may lift the latch handle 18 such thatthe latch handle 18 is rotated in the clockwise direction, as shown inFIG. 8, from its unpivoted, default position (shown in FIG. 7). Thus,the latch contact portions 84 a, 84 b of the latch handle 18 are alsopivoted in the clockwise direction. The contact between the latchcontact portions 84 a, 84 b and the extending portions 86 a, 86 b maycause the latch contact portions 84 a, 84 b to push the extendingportions 86 a, 86 b so that the latch 20 is rotated in thecounterclockwise direction around the rod 88 to the unlatched position.As a result, the lid portion 14 may be placed on the container portion12 without the third slanted surface 110 of the latch engaging portions22 a, 22 b obstructing the latch portions 20 a, 20 b. After the lidportion 14 has been placed on the container portion 12 such that thelatch portions 20 a, 20 b are located beneath the latch engagingportions 22 a, 22 b, the user may let go of the latch handle 18,whereupon the spring 24 may snap the latch 20 in the clockwisedirection. Accordingly, the second contact surface 104 of the latchengaging portions 22 a, 22 b may slide against the first contact surface98 of the latch portions 20 a, 20 b until the tips 110 of the latchengaging portions 22 a, 22 b are received in the corner 100 of the latchportions 20 a, 20 b. The stop portions 90 a, 90 b of the latch 20 mayabut against the stop surfaces 96, thus preventing over-rotation in theclockwise direction of the latch 20. The ends 94 of the extendingportions 86 a, 86 b may be received in the hooked portion 92 of thelatch handle 18. During rotation of the latch 20 by the bias of thespring 24, the extending portions 86 a, 86 b of the latch 20 may pushagainst the contact portions 84 a, 84 b of the latch handle 18, and thusrotate the latch handle 18 in the counterclockwise direction until thelatch handle 18 is in the unpivoted, default position, as shown in FIG.7. Accordingly, the latch portion 20 a, 20 b are in the latched positionwith the latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b, as shown in FIG. 7. Thatis, the projections 21 a, 21 b of the latch portions 20 a, 20 b arereceived in the recesses 99 a, 99 b of the latch engaging portions 22 a,22 b.

The lid portion 14 may be unlatched from the container portion 12 asfollows in accordance with an embodiment. The lid portion 14 mayinitially be latched to the container portion 12, as shown in FIG. 7.The engagement between the latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b and thelatch portions 20 a, 20 b may prevent the lid portion 14 from beingmoved to the open position. That is, attempts to lift the lid portion 14from the container portion 12 may cause the first contact surfaces 98 ofthe latch portion 20 a, 20 b to abut against the second contact surfaces104 of the latch engaging portions 22 a, 22 b. The user may then insertfingers into the depression 82 to pivot the handle portion 80 of thelatch handle 18 upwards. As the handle 18 is pivoted upwards, the handle18 is rotated in the clockwise direction. Accordingly, the latch contactportions 84 a, 84 b of the latch handle 18 are also rotated in theclockwise direction. The latch contact portions 84 a, 84 b may pushagainst the extending portions 86 a, 86 b of the latch 20, thus pivotingthe extending portions 86 a, 86 b (and the rest of the latch 20) in thecounterclockwise direction around the rod 88. The ends 94 of theextending portions 86 a, 86 b may slide upwards on the sliding surfaces112 of the latch contact portion 84 b during the pivoting movement, asshown in FIG. 8. As the latch 20 is rotated in the counterclockwisedirection, the second contact surfaces 104 of the latch engaging portion22 a, 22 b are slid out of engagement with the first contact surfaces 98of the latch portions 20 a, 20 b and the tips 108 of the latch engagingportions 22 a, 22 b are removed from the corners 100 of the latchportions 20 a, 20 b. Accordingly, the latch portions 20 a, 20 b are inthe release position and are no longer engaged with the latch engagingportions 22 a, 22 b. The lid 16 may then be pivoted upwards to the openposition. Thus, the latch assembly 16 is constructed and arranged toenable unlatching of the spaced latch portions 20 a, 20 b by pivotalmovement of the latch handle 18.

In some embodiments, the container 10 may be divided into compartmentsor may include removable compartments. In one embodiment, thecompartments may be defined by container member or dividers. Thecontainer members may optionally be constructed and arranged to beremovable and to be insertable at various locations in the containerportion 12 so that the configuration of the compartments may be changed.The container members may also be removed completely from the containerportion 12 so that larger compartments may be formed by the walls of thecontainer 10 and/or the walls of the other container members. Thecontainer members may also be removed to be carried separately. Thecontainer members may optionally have various shapes and/or varioussizes. The container portion 12 may optionally include inserts made of aflexible or memory-retaining materials with depressions formed thereinto receive objects. In some embodiments, the depressions may be the sameshape as the tools. In some embodiments, the inserts may be made of foammaterial. It should also be appreciated that trays 124 having anoptional handle portion 126 (see FIG. 11) or other containers may beprovided in the interior space 13 of the container 10.

It should be appreciated that the examples described above are notintended to be limiting. It is contemplated that the latch assembly 16may be used in other types of boxes or containers. For example, thelatch assembly 16 may be incorporated in the containers of the rollingcontainer assembly described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/858,376, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration based on what is currently considered to be the mostpractical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that suchdetail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limitedto the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to covermodifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood thatthe present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one ormore features of any embodiment may be combined with one or morefeatures of any other embodiment.

1. A container, comprising: a container portion defining a space forstoring tools; a lid portion pivotally connected to the containerportion; the lid portion being pivotally movable between open and closedpositions; a latch assembly carried by the lid portion and constructedand arranged to latch the lid portion in the closed position, the latchassembly including: a single latch handle carried by the lid portion, alatch comprising spaced latch portions, the spaced latch portions beingmoveable together between a latched position and a released position,the latch portions respectively being on opposite sides of the latchhandle, the latch portions engageable with latch engaging portions ofthe container portion, and a spring that biases the spaced latchportions toward the latched position, the latch handle constructed andarranged to be moved to effect movement of the latch portions from thelatched position to the released position.
 2. The container of claim 1,wherein the spaced latch portions are integrally molded with oneanother.
 3. The container of claim 2, wherein the single latch handle isintegrally molded with the spaced latch portions.
 4. The container ofclaim 1, wherein the single latch handle and the spaced latch portionsare pivotable about a common axis.
 5. The container of claim 1, whereinthe spaced latch portions each comprise a projection, and wherein thelatch engaging portions receive the projection when the latch portionsare in the latched position.
 6. The container of claim 1, wherein thespaced latch portions each comprise a recess, and wherein the latchengaging portions engage in the recess when the latch portions are inthe latched position.
 7. The container of claim 1, wherein forcing thelid portion to the closed position causes the latch portions to firstmove to the unlatched position, and wherein the spring biases the latchportions to subsequently move to the latched position.
 8. The containerof claim 1, wherein the lid portion has a weight that is sufficientlyheavy in relation to the spring constant of the spring, such that theforce of gravity alone is enough to move the lid portion to the latchedposition, wherein during movement of the lid portion under the force ofgravity alone first moves the latch portions to the unlatched positionagainst the bias of the spring, and wherein the force of the springsubsequently moves the latch portions to the latched position.
 9. Thecontainer of claim 8, wherein the force of gravity alone is sufficientto move the lid portion to the latched position only when the lid isreleased from higher than a predetermined height position.
 10. Thecontainer of claim 1, wherein the latch handle includes a contactportion constructed and arranged to contact the spaced latch portions soas to effect movement of the latch portions from the latched position tothe released position.
 11. The container of claim 1, wherein the latchhandle is pivotable about a first axis, and the spaced latch portionsare pivotable about a second axis, the first and second axis beingparallel to one another.
 12. The container of claim 1, wherein the latchhandle is separately formed from the latch and comprises at least onelatch contact portion for contacting the latch.